Position Overview
Nscale's North American Data Center Infrastructure (DCI) group is delivering large-scale, high-density data center campuses on demanding timelines. The Project Controls group gives every project a clear, honest view of cost, schedule, and risk.
The Project Controls Manager owns project controls for one or more DCI projects from development through handover. This role leads the project-level controls team (cost, scheduling, and planning), integrates cost and schedule into a single performance picture, and makes sure Project Directors and leadership have the information they need to make good decisions early.
Key Responsibilities
- Project controls leadership: Lead and mentor the project-level controls team, including Cost Managers, Schedulers, and Planners; assign work, review outputs, and maintain quality standards.
- Baseline development: Develop and maintain the project control baseline - WBS, cost breakdown structure, budget, and integrated schedule - in line with the DCI project controls framework.
- Performance measurement: Run earned value analysis and integrate cost and schedule data to report progress, productivity, variances, and forecasts at completion.
- Reporting: Produce weekly and monthly project reports and dashboards for Project Directors and the Director, Project Controls, highlighting trends, risks, and recommended actions.
- Change management: Administer the change control process, including trend logs, change requests, and contractor change orders, and assess cost and schedule impacts before approval.
- Risk management: Facilitate risk workshops, maintain the project risk register, and support quantitative cost and schedule risk analysis and contingency management.
- Contractor oversight: Review contractor schedules, progress measurement, and payment applications; verify progress claims and hold contractors to contractual reporting requirements.
- Forecasting and cash flow: Partner with Finance on monthly forecasts, accruals, cash flow projections, and capitalization.
- Continuous improvement: Capture lessons learned and contribute to the evolution of DCI controls standards, templates, and systems.
Qualifications
- 10+ years of project controls experience on large construction or capital projects, including at least 3 years in a lead or management role.
- Experience on mission-critical or complex facilities, such as data centers, power generation, substations, or advanced manufacturing.
- Strong working knowledge of CPM scheduling, cost control, earned value management, and change management.
- Ability to interpret and challenge contractor schedules, cost reports, and progress claims.
- Clear, concise written and verbal communication, including presenting to senior stakeholders.
- Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Quantity Surveying, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
Preferred
- Hyperscale or colocation data center experience, including MEP-heavy and phased delivery.
- AACE (PSP, CCP, EVP) or PMP certification.
- Owner-side or owner's representative project controls experience.
- Experience standing up controls on a new project or in a growing organization.
Character & Conduct
- Integrity - does the right thing even when no one is watching; never misrepresents status, costs, or progress to protect themselves or their team
- Ownership mentality - treats the program as their own and holds themselves and their direct reports accountable without being told
- Respectful under pressure - stays composed and professional with contractors, trades, direct reports, and internal Nscale teams regardless of the circumstances
- Transparent communicator - surfaces problems early and honestly, never buries bad news, and expects the same from the teams they lead
- Team-first attitude - ego stays at the gate; the program and the people on it come first
- Reliable and consistent - shows up prepared, follows through on commitments, and does what they say they will do
We actively seek references that speak to a candidate's character, not just their technical output.
Tools & Software
- Primavera P6 (required)
- Cost management platforms (e.g., EcoSys, Procore, or similar)
- Risk analysis tools (e.g., Safran Risk, Acumen Risk, or Primavera Risk Analysis)
- Power BI or similar reporting / dashboard tools
- Advanced Microsoft Excel and the Microsoft 365 suite
Work Environment & Schedule
Hybrid role based in North America, with regular travel (approximately 25-50%) to active DCI project sites; extended site assignments may be required during key p